Bath and shower seat

ABSTRACT

THE SEAT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION COMPRISES AN EASILY INSTALLED PANEL HAVING A PLASTIC FINISH WHICH CAN BE COLORED TO MATCH ANY BATHROOM COLOR SCHEME. IN ONE EMBODIMENT THE SEAT, WHEN IN USE, IS SUPPORTED IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION BY THE EDGES OF THE SIDES OF A BATHTUB AND IS PIVOTABLE UPWARD SO AS TO BE STORED VERTICALLY AGAINST A WALL ABOVE THE TUB. WHEN STORED THE SEAT MAY BE RECESSED IN THE WALL AND PROVIDED WITH A MAGNETIC LATCH TO SECURE THE STORED SEAT. IN ANOTHER EMBODIMENT THE SEAT WHEN IN USE, IS SUPPORTED BY ITS OWN HINGE, AND IS PIVOTABLE DOWNWARD TO ITS VERTICAL STORAGE POSITION. THE LATTER EMBODIMENT IS SUITED FOR USE IN SHOWERS SINCE SUPPORT BY SIDES OF A BATHTUB IS NOT REQUIRED.

May 25, 1971 M. ARONOVITZ BATH AND SHOWER SEAT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledMarch 21, 1969 INVENTOR MANUEL RRINOVH'Z BY Qua. June ATTORNEYS M.ARONOVITZ BATH AND SHOWER SEAT May 25, 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March21, 1969 MANUEL ARUNUVlTZ BY Qan- YM ATTORNEYS United States PatentOil-ice 3,579,668 Patented May 25, 1971 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Theseat of the present invention comprises an easily installed panel havinga plastic finish which can be colored to match any bathroom colorscheme. In one embodiment the seat, when in use, is supported in ahorizontal position by the edges of the sides of a bathtub and ispivotable upward so as to be stored vertically against a wall above thetub. When stored the seat may be recessed in the wall and provided witha magnetic latch to secure the stored seat. In another embodiment theseat when in use, is supported by its own hinge, and is pivotabledownward to its vertical storage position. The latter embodiment issuited for use in showers since support by sides of a bathtub is notrequired.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to bathroomaccessories and more particularly to a retractable seat for use in abathtub or shower.

Prior art bathtub seats have been complex in structure and requiredcomplex installation, such as recessing the bathroom wall to permitsafe, out-of-the-way storage of the seat when not in use. In addition,prior art bathtub seats are not suitable for installation in manypresent day bath and shower facilities which have sliding glasspartitions. Moreover, the materials employed in prior art bathtub seatsare not readily styled and colored to match present day bathroom decors.

Where prior art seats of this type have attempted to be self-supporting,without the aid of the bathtub sides for support, they have includeddangerous projections which are capable of causing injury to a bather.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide aretractable seat for use in a bathtub or shower which is simplyinstalled and readily adaptable to the construction and decor of presentday bathrooms.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a pivotallyretractable seat for use in a bathtub or shower which is simpler inconstruction than prior art seats of this type.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide apivotally retractable seat for use in a shower or bathtub which issupportable by its own hinge, and

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a plastic panelis pivotally mounted at one of its edges on a bathroom wall above oneend of a bathtub. In its horizontal or in-use position the panel restson portions of the rim of an endwall and two sidewalls of the tub. Forstorage the panel is pivoted upwardly through an angle of more than 90until the weight of the panel urges its outer edge against the bathroomwall. Mounting is simply achieved in a matter of minutes by securing oneor more hinges to the panel and the bathroom wall.

In another embodiment, the bathroom wall is recessed and provided with amagnet. The panel is adapted to be stored vertically in the recess, andhas a magnetic latch to assure postive retention of the panel in therecess.

In still another embodiment the panel is supported, when in use, solelyby its own hinge without requiring the use of bathtub walls or dangerousprojecting supports.

In this embodiment, suitable primarily for use in a shower stall, thepanel is pivotable downwardly from its horizontal or in-use position toits vertical storage position adjacent the bathroom wall. The hingeemployed in this embodiment is a foldable hinge which rigidly locks whenextended, such as a piano hinge to support the seat and the weight ofthe user when the seat is in use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and still further objects,features and advantages of the present invention will become apparentupon consideration of the following detailed description of specificembodiments thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in persepctive of one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional views taken through the lines 22 and 33respectively in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of a second embodiment of the presentinvention illustrating the bathtub seat therein in its in-use position;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken through lines 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 4, illustrating thebathtub seat therein in a stored position;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are two respective views in perspective of a thirdembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is front section view of the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8,illustrating the supporting action of the hinge employed with said thirdembodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring specifically to FIGS.1, 2 and 3 there is illustrated an alcove, in a bathroom or the like, inwhich a bathtub 10 is situated. The bathtub includes front and rearsidewalls 11 and 13 respectively, and head and foot endwalls 15 and 17respectively. Head wall 15 and sidewall 13 abut respective alcove walls19 and 21.

A solid plastic or plastic-coated panel 23 of waterresistant finish andcolored to match the bathroom decor is adapted to be positioned on therim 25 of tub 10 adjacent either end of the tub, the head end beingchosen by way of example in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. Panel 23 is illustrated insolid lines to designate its horizontal or in-use position and inphantom lines to designate its storage position. Panel 23 is pivotallymounted on wall 19 by means of hinges 27 so that the panel is rotatableabout an axis defined substantially at the juncture of bathroom wall 19and the rim 25 atop head wall 15 of the tub. Each hinge 27 comprises anapertured plate member 29 bolted or otherwise secured to the uppersurface of panel 23 (as viewed with the panel in its in-use position) atrespective corners of the head wall edge of the panel. In addition eachhinge includes an arm member 31 secured to wall 19 and having anapertured projection through which a pivot pin or bolt 33 extends. Pivotpin 33 also extends through the aperture in plate member 29, permittingpanel 23 to be pivoted from its horizontal or in-use position to itsstorage position indicated in phantom lines.

In its in-use position, panel 23 comprises a seat which is supported bythe rim 25 of the tub. When pivoted upwardly, the panel rotates throughan angle in excess of past the vertical plane, to a storage position inwhich the panel is urged against wall 19 by its own weight. In thisstorage position the panel is safely out of the way and in no danger ofaccidentally falling on an unsuspecting bather.

It will be apparent that the bathtub seat arrangement described inrelation to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 is easily installed, since drilling of afew holes in panel 23 and wall 19 is all that is required. Sufiicientlystrong hinges 27 to said wall, said first bracket member being ofgenerally L-configuration with a long leg secured to the underside ofsaid panel and a short leg extending downward from said panel along saidwall when said panel is in its horizontal position, the outer end ofsaid short leg terminating in a first projection, said second bracketmember extending vertically along said wall with its upper endterminating in a second projection, said hinge further comprising meansfor pivotally engaging said first and second projection, and whereinsaid means for supporting comprises a foldable locking rod having firstand second sections, said first section comprising a bar member having afirst end pivotally secured to said second bracket member proximate thebottom of said second bracket member and a second end terminating in afinger-like projection, said first section having a longitudinallyextending slot defined therein, said second section comprising a sleevesuitable for receiving said second end of said first section, saidsecond section having one end pivotally secured to said first bracketmember proximate the end of said long leg remote from said wall and asecond end adjacent which first and second longtiudinally displaced pinsextend transversely across said sleeve, said first pin being closer saidsecond end of said sleeve than said second pin and disposed to slidablyengage said longitudinally extending slot, said second pin beingdisposed to engage said finger-like projection when said foldablelocking rod is longitudinally compressed, said sleeve having a cutawayportion to permit disengagement of said finger-like projection by saidsecond pin when said foldable locking rod is longitudinally expanded.

4. A bathtub seat for use in a bathtub immediately adjacent a fiat wallat one end of said bathtub having an end-wall abutting said flat wall,two spaced sidewalls extending perpendicularly from said fiat Wall, anda rim defining the uppermost extremities of said endwall and sidewalls,said bathtub seat comprising: a solid plastic panel of water-resistantfinish having top and bottom surfaces and having a pair of paralleledges of length greater than the spacing between said endwalls; a pairof hinges each comprising an apertured plate, an arm member having anapertured projection, and a pivot pin extending through the apertures insaid plate and said projection to permit pivotal motion therebetween;means for securing the apertured plate of each of said hinges to the topsurface of said panel proximate respective corners adjacent one of saidparallel edges; means for securing the arm members of said hinges tosaid flat wall above said endwall of said bathtub at locations such thatsaid panel is supported on said bottom surface by the rim of saidbathtub when said panel is pivoted to its downward extreme position andsuch that the other of said parallel edges rests against said fiat wallwhen said panel is pivoted to its upward extreme position, said panelbeing rotatable through an angle of greater than 90 between said upwardand downward extreme positions.

5. In combination:

a shower stall including a vertical wall;

a shower seat comprising a solid plastic panel of waterresistant finishhaving top and bottom surfaces of generally rectangular configuration;

a pair of hinges each including first and second arms, means forpivotally engaging said first and second arms, means for restrainingpivotal separation of greater than between said first and second arms,and means for selectively locking said first and second arms at 90pivotal separation;

means for securing the first arm of each of said hinges to the bottomsurface of said panel such that said first arms are spaced and extendsubstantially parallel to and proximate respective opposite edges ofsaid panel; and

means for securing said second arms of said hinges to said vertical wallto extend downwardly of said panel when the latter is disposedhorizontally.

6. A bathtub seat for use in a bathtub immediately adjacent a flat wallabutting one end of said bathtub, said bathtub seat comprising a solidplastic panel of water-resistant finish, means for pivotally mountingsaid panel on said fiat wall above said bathtub such that said panel ispivotable upwardly from a horizontal position through an angle greaterthan 90 to a position wherein said panel is urged against said flat wallby its own weight and such that said panel when substantially horizontalis supported by said bathtub.

7. The seat according to claim 6 wherein said means for pivotallymounting comprises at least one hinge having a first member secured nearan edge of the top side of said panel, a second member secured to saidwall above said edge of said top side of said panel, and means forpivotally interconnecting said first and second members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 790,793 5/1905 Koch 248-2401,712,704 5/1929 Kiser 248-240.1 1,923,482 8/1933 Frankenstein 4-1852,514,537 7/1950 Cullum 4-237 2,746,664 5/ 1956 Strmic 248-240 2,813,27611/1957 Lanza 4-185 2,965,153 12/1960 Purcell, Sr. 4-185 3,233,745 2/1966 Hershberger 248-240 3,312,444 4/1967 De Sena 248-300 FOREIGNPATENTS 650,216 10/1962 Canada 248-240 ST 5,575 4/ 1956 Germany 248-24081,584 4/ 1953 Norway 248-240 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner D. B.MASSENBERG, Assistant Examiner

